DePaul Prep Dominates Geneseo 38-13 in 3A Playoff

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams dominated the Geneseo Maple Leafs 38-13 Saturday afternoon in the IHSA 3A second round playoff game. The Rams’ offense scored on all five of their first half possession with four touchdowns and a field goal.

No one knew what to expect in this game. Geneseo (6-5), a team from western Illinois by the Quad Cities, in the Western Big 6 Conference runs an old school double wing “three yards and a cloud of dust” type offense that offense that gives teams trouble who don’t regularly see it. The double wing expects to run the ball and control the clock. Geneseo did neither.

After the Rams took the opening kick off down the field for an early score, a three-yard touchdown run by Rams’ senior running back Nick Martinez, Geneseo answered. On a classic quarterback option, Maple Leafs’ junior tail back Kye Weinzert took the pitch and raced up the Rams’ sideline 75 yards to Rams 12 yard-line. On the next play, Geneseo junior quarterback Braxton McAvoy threw for a 12-yard touchdown on a pass to the middle of the endzone. Not exactly three yards and a cloud of dust.

But Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez and the powerful Rams offense were too much for Geneseo. The one-two punch of Juju’s passing and the gashing runs of Nick Martinez had the Rams scoring every time they had the ball in the first half: four touchdowns and a field goal. A double-wing offense simply can’t overcome that.

It wasn’t just the conservative offense that doomed Geneseo. The Rams’ defense had something to do with it. The Rams forced six turnovers and allowed probably not that many first downs. The Rams recovered four Geneseo fumbles and intercepted two passes.

It was the Rams that ran the ball. Senior running back Nick Martinez returned to the Rams backfield after aggravating a hamstring injury in the final regular season game against Benet and sitting out the first playoff game against Dyett.

“We held [Nick Martinez] out last week on purpose. We wanted him to get healthy. He felt good all week long. He was back. With him and Juju [Rodriguez] in that backfield, they get it humming,” said DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella.

They did indeed. Martinez’s runs kept Geneseo off balance and opened up the passing lanes for Rodriguez who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

“Missing a few games really affected me. I still had to stay disciplined to make sure I had a good recovery. My plan was to come back for this game and dominate,” said Martinez.

The Rams will face St. Laurence (7-3) in the 4A quarterfinal game at DePaul Prep Stadium next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. St. Laurence defeated Wheaten Academy (9-1) in something of an upset with the Vikings being the 12th seed defeating the #4 seed, Wheaton Academy 26-14.

St. Laurence is out of the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic League White Division. The White Division is stacked with two other top teams Fenwick and Montini. Fenwick upset Brother Rice last week but lost to Downers Grove North in a close game 13-10. Montini, a 3A team, defeated #1 seed Byron and is a favorite to win 3A.

St. Laurence and DePaul Prep did not play this year. Their common opponents included only St. Patrick and Carmel. Both St. Laurence and DePaul Prep won those games.

It's had to say who will be a favorite in the DePaul Prep v. St. Laurence game. The Rams come in with the higher #9 seed to the Vikings #16 seed. But that doesn’t much matter as it does not take strength of schedule into account. The CCL/ESCC White would be considered a higher division in the conference but not by much. But the Rams are 4-1 at home this year losing only to Loyola at home.

DePaul Prep Wins Playoff Game 48-8 over Dyett

[A preview of my story in Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams (7-3) defeated the Dyett Eagles 48-8 Saturday afternoon at Stagg Stadium on the South side. The Rams had a 42-0 halftime lead on the Eagles so there was a running clock in the second half.

The Rams defense opened the game with an impressive start that set the tone for the rest of the game. Dyett had -17 years of total offense on the first two drives. The Rams offense answered with two quick touchdowns making the score 14-0 before Dyett had a first down.

Even with the two quick touchdowns, the Rams’ offense was not hitting on its usual strength the passing game and the passing and scrambling talent of senior quarterback Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez.

“I would say I was just antsy,” Rodriguez admitted after the game.

“I saw [Juju] after the second drive I grabbed him. I said dude, ‘you’ve gotta calm down.’ He was late. They ran a little bit of a different defense than what we say on films. So that was new and he was probably just trying to work through some adjustments,” said Rams’ head coach Mike Passarella.

Not that this was a big deal. They lead 14-0. And the defense was playing at a level they have not been at in weeks. A few incomplete passes is hardly a huge problem or even something unusual.  

The second quarter was a whole different story. Rodriguez calmed down. He scrambled around, avoiding tackles and making big throws. The Rams put up four touchdowns and extra points in the second quarter and took a 42-0 at the half.

While the final score of 48-8 might suggest that the Rams would be a heavy favorite coming into the game, which they were, the peculiarities of the IHSA seeding system had the Eagles as a #8 seed and the Rams as a #9 seed making Dyett the home team. The seeding system doesn’t take into account strength of schedule.

For instance, Sullivan High School finished the season 9-0 in the Chicago Public League’s White-North Division and earned a #1 seed in one side of the 4A bracket. However, Sullivan played only other CPL teams and no team from the CPL’s top division, the Red Division. Sullivan lost 42-0 Saturday at Winnemac Stadium to Geneseo, a rural school from Western Illinois just outside of the Quad Cities.

Geneseo, now 6-4, will be the Rams’ next opponent next Saturday as the 4A playoffs continue. This time the Rams’ will be a home team in playoff game for the first time in decades. Geneseo will once again have to travel across the state to Chicago for a playoff game. This game will prove a good deal more competitive for both squads.

The Geneseo Green Machine comes out of the Western Big 6 Conference, which has seven teams, where they finished in fifth place with a 5-4 record. Don’t be fooled by that. There are very good teams in that conference, including Quincy and Moline, both playoff 7A teams.

Geneseo employs a double wing offense that is difficult for teams to stop. The offense is something of an old-school run-heavy offense that controls the ball in three yards and a cloud of dust fashion. Old school or not, this offense can be very effective. Lane Tech head coach Dedrick Dewalt proved that a couple years ago when he dialed it up for Champions who won six straight with it and made the playoffs. The Rams coaching staff will have to be coaching up their players on how to stop the double wing.

Even more disconcerting about Geneseo has to be their uniforms. The Green Machine’s uniforms are basically the same as the Green Bay Packers. The mere sight of those yellow and green helmets are bound bring out a mix of hatred, anger and dread amongst the Rams players, coaches and fans.

Lincoln Park Survives Payton; DePaul Prep Falls to Benet; Amundsen Drops Lane Tech

[Preview of my article in this weeks’ Inside—Booster]

By Jack Lydon

The high school football regular season is in the books. Lincoln Park finished 8-1 with one of the the best records on the Northside. With a 6-3 record, DePaul Prep had its best season in thirty years stretched back into the Gordon Tech era. Amundsen continues its winning ways in recent years with a 5-4 record. All three teams’ season will continue with games in the IHSA Playoffs.

The Lincoln Park Lions (8-1) survived a late charge Walter Payton College Prep (5-4) winning 14-7 Saturday afternoon at Winnemac Stadium earning a #8 seed in the 7A IHSA football playoffs.

Lincoln Park jumped out to 7-0 lead on Payton with 2:15 left in the first quarter but stalled after offensively after that. Payton’s offense was just as toothless through three quarters of the game. But with 8:19 remaining in the game, the Grizzlies faked a punt and connected on a 21-yard pass for a first down on Lincoln Park’s 25-yardline. With 2:58 remaining, Payton connected a fourth down touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.

On the very next play, the Lions answered. Junior wide receiver and basketball player, Jayden Dickerson, in his first year ever playing football, took the kickoff for 72 yards to the Payton 8-yardline. The huge play, symbolic of the Lions’ Cinderella season, all but sealed the Lions victory. A few plays later, the Lions pushed the ball into the endzone for a 14-7 victory.

The Lions are the surprise team of the year. “I don’t think anybody expected us to do what we’ve been doing. I am pretty sure that if you took a poll before the season started, everybody would probably pick us to finish last, Lincoln Park head coach Andres Flores said.

Lincoln Park draws a playoff game against #8 seed Hoffman Estates Hawks (6-3) from the Mid-Suburban West conference. This is an interesting match-up for the Lions. A top team from CPS facing a fourth-place team from a good suburban conference. The Hawks’ losses this year came at the hands of Fremd, Palatine and Barrington—all ranked in the Super 25. The Lions will have their work cut out for them. But they will host the game, probably Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium.

Lions head coach Andres Flores likes his underdog status. Before the brackets were announced, Flores said, “that suburban team is probably going to be licking their chops . . . We have been underestimated all year and our athletes have shown up all year. I know people are probably overlooking us despite the record. I think we will match up fine with whoever we get in the first round.”

On Friday evening, the 6-2 DePaul Prep Rams travelled to Lisle to face Benet Academy in the game that would decide the CCL/ESCC Purple Division. The Rams gave up five turnovers, two of which went for Benet touchdowns and came away short with a 31-24 loss.

“You can’t win football games when you have five turnovers,” said DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella. “And two of them went for scores.”

Despite the five turnovers, there is no quit in these Rams. The Rams tied the game at 17 each with 4:33 remaining in the game, only to give up an 80 touchdown on the very next play from scrimmage run by the Redwings.

The Redwings added another pick-six to push their lead to 31-17. No quit in the Rams. Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez connected on a 40-yard bomb to Justin Sterner to make the score 31-24. It wasn’t to be. The Rams came up short falling to 6-3 on year and losing their chance for Purple Division championship.

“We struggled today on a number of fronts. Miscues, penalties on the offensive side, big plays on the defensive side, You’ve got to take advantage of what’s given to you and we just didn’t do that tonight which is not like us,” said Passarella.

Even with the loss, the Rams are still in the playoffs. They earned the #9 seed in 4A and will play #8 Dyett Eagles (7-2), possibly next Friday at Gately Stadium. The Rams and the Eagles had no common opponents. The Eagles did not pay any ranked teams and their losses came against conference foes Corless and King.

The Amundsen Vikings (5-4) defeated the Lane Tech Champions (3-6) on Friday afternoon 14-7, earning themselves a playoff berth. It was the first time the Vikings defeated in the ten years that Amundsen head coach Nick Olson has been coaching the Vikings.

The Vikings lead the Champions 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and added another after a long drive late in the second quarter taking a 14-0 lead into the halftime break. Amundsen burned six minutes off the clock after intercepting Lane’s replacement quarterback on the first drive of the second half.

Lane’s usual starting quarterback Noah Mayra reentered the game halfway through the third quarter. Moving the Champions steadily down the field, Mayra rifled an eighteen-yard touchdown pass to fellow senior wide receiver Julian Vickery to get Lane back in the game 14-7.

The Vikings run game and defense proved too much for the Champions to overcome. Reggie Mitchell ran the ball for first downs and the defense intercepted Mayra midway through the fourth and recovered a Champions’ fumble with 1:13 on the clock lock up the victory and a playoff berth.

Vikings’ head coach Nick Olson was a bit emotional after the game. “We are graduating 15 seniors, this is a special group for me,” he said.  

The toughest playoff draw has to go to Amundsen. The Vikings will play Geneva (8-1) from the DuKane Conference, who are currently ranked #5 in Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 rankings of area schools.

“This will be the best team we have played all season. We are well aware of that. Once you get in the playoffs, everybody is good,” said Amundsen head coach Nick Olson.

“We are gonna just try and do what we have been doing all year and that’s trying to run the ball, stay ahead of the chains and keep the ball away from their offense.”

Amundsen’s Reggie Mitchell scores touchdown against Lane Tech.

DePaul Prep Comes Back to Defeat Carmel 25-22

Preview of this week’s Inside—Booster article:

By Jack Lydon

DePaul Prep just keeps winning. The Rams 25-23 come from behind win over Carmel Catholic on Friday lifts the Rams to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the CCL/ESCC Purple division. This is the best record in DePaul Prep football’s eleven seasons. The best record for 32 years reaching back into the Gordon Tech era when Tom Winiecki was the coach. In 1992, the Rams finished 10-1.

If you were in the DePaul Prep stadium Friday during the first half of the game, you wouldn’t have been thinking about that. The Carmel Corsairs (3-4) are extraordinarily talented. Their quarterback Trae Taylor is a high major division 1 college prospect. He is among the most gifted quarterbacks in the state even as a sophomore. Both their lines are huge and talented. Carmel won two games in the playoff last year. Frankly, the Rams were not the favorite and it showed in the first quarter.

The Corsairs moved right down the field with the opening kick. Sophomore running back Michael Pierre scored on a 33-yard run up the middle. Trae Taylor added a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:07 left in the half making the score 13-0. Maybe the Rams luck had run out.

“I was nervous. I will tell you that. I had a little anxiety going on,” DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella said of the early Carmel lead.

With time running down in the first half, it felt like the game might be slipping away. It was fourth down and one from the Rams own 29-yard line. The decision was made to go for it. A nineteen-yard gain later and a big first down, the Rams were looking to score.

“We are a slow starting team. It’s something we’ve got to work on. We know that we’ve got it in us,” said junior wide receiver Matthew Osterman after the game.

“We knew since Monday. We knew since the start of the season. Let’s keep working. Let’s keep going. The game’s not over. The clock has not hit double zeros. We just gotta keep going,” the confident Osterman added.

Rams’ senior quarterback and three-year starter Fernando “JuJu” Rodriguez connected with Rams wide receiver Justin Sterner on perfectly thrown post route right down the middle of the field for a 25-yard touchdown. The Rams were right back in it.

Carmel was not done in the half. They moved right down the field in the 44 seconds remaining and added a 42-yard field goal that hit the upright and fell throw to make the score at half time 16-7.

This group of Rams can play from behind.

“They are not 16-7 better than you,” Passarella told his team at half time. “You are shooting yourselves in the foot. You are making mistakes. Not communicating out there. Go out there and execute. We made zero adjustments. We just lined up and played football the way that we practiced all week long and knew we could.”

The second half was a different story. It felt like a boxing match. Each teams had their drives. The Rams senior wide receiver Bradon Peevy scored on a five-yard pass from Rodriguez midway through the third.

After a gutsy onside kicker recovered by the DePaul Prep, Rams’ sophomore kicker Emmett McCue added a 42-yard field goal of his own.

“I really tried to focus in, focus in on where I need the ball to go. I got it to where it needed to be,” McCue said. The Rams had a 17-16 lead with 5:59 left in the third.

Carmel’s run/pass offense was just too much. With 8:16 left in the game and the clock ticking down, the Corsairs and their talented quarterback and running back methodically moved the ball toward the south endzone. With 3:12 on the clock, Pierre darted ten yards up the middle to retake the lead 22-17.

 “We were both gassed on both sides of the ball. You saw what they did. They drove the ball right down on that last score. We were gassed. We weren’t getting off the ball,” said Passarella.

 With a big stop on the two-point conversion attempt, the Rams come off the field with a surprising confidence. We’ve got the ball and three minutes; no problem.

Rodriguez and his Rams took the field at the 20-yard line after a touchback. JuJu wasted no time is gashing the Corsairs with a couple fifteen-yard passes in the middle of the field. Then a couple determined runs by senior running back Nick Martinez as the clock continued to run.

“[Nick Martinez] is another three-year guy that we trust with the ball in his hands. He is going to make things happen and that’s what he does. He is patient. He lets his blocks develop. He hits the acceleration when he needs to. He makes things happen. He keeps drives alive,” said Passarella.

The dinks and dunks and the runs seemed to slow the Corsairs’ defense. With second and seven from the 20-yard line, JuJu dropped back to pass.

“It was actually a broken play. The cornerback . . . just left [Osterman] open, didn’t guard him. I tried getting it off as fast as I can, just throwing it out to him and letting him make a play. Honestly, I could not even tell you what the play call was. I just saw him. He saw me. So I snapped it and through it out to him and he scored,” said Rodriquez.

Rams’ junior wide receiver Matt Osterman made a great catch with an interfering defender draped all over him for the winning touchdown. His fifth touchdown of the season. This historic season.

Carmel wasn’t done. They put up a tremendous effort with under a minute on the clock but great defensive plays by the Rams would keep them out of field goal range and a chance to tie.

DePaul Prep basketball has become a top basketball program in the state with two state championships in a row. The boys’ cross-country team has a state championship. The girls’ volleyball team has become a top program in recent years. Why not football?

Several football observers I spoke to before the game thought that DePaul Prep would end up in 4A when the classes are officially announced after the season. 4A has a number of top teams in the state but not many. Rochester, IC Catholic and St. Lawrence were the ones that came to mind.

With the Rams officially in with six wins, it is not inconceivable that they could advance beyond an anticipated home game against an area school. An anticipated 8-1 or 7-2 record would likely bring a game against a downstate team or an area powerhouse team.

But the season is not over. It’s not the playoffs yet. St. Francis is next. Then Benet.

DePaul Prep Handles St. Patrick 41-0

[Preview of this week’s Inside Booster article]

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams took apart the St. Patrick Shamrocks 41-0 at DePaul Prep on Friday evening. The Rams improved their 4-0, 2-0 in the CCL/ESCC Purple division. This game against the Shamrocks, 2-2, 1-1, also in the Purple, took on the added significance because it was a division game.

It was a busy evening on the west end of Roscoe Village. DePaul Prep hosted St. Patrick, the only other Catholic high school on the Northside. Lane hosted Whitney Young at Lane Stadium at the same time just a few hundred yards north of DePaul’s field. Parking was difficult to come by.

Before the game, the DePaul Prep fans, coaches and staff I talked to were tightlipped about what to expect.

“They’re good. And big,” a couple people told me.

Another observer told me, “DePaul 20-13.”

“They can run the football, but they haven’t played anyone that can pass the ball like we can,” one coach told me.

It didn’t take long for the Rams show exactly how well they can pass the ball. And score. Less than two minutes into the game, Rams senior quarterback Juju Rodriguez hit senior wideout Justin Sterner on a twenty-five-yard touchdown.

Not long thereafter, Rams’ senior running back Nick Martinez added another touchdown with a 37-yard for a touchdown. 14-0.

Rams’ senior wide receiver Braden Peevy scored a four-yard touchdown with 6:55 left in the second quarter to make the score 21-0. The Rams were rolling.

Then with nine seconds left in the half, Rodriguez connected with junior wide receiver Matthew Osterman on a 23-yard post route at the back of the north endzone for a fourth touchdown and a 27-0 half time lead.

To some extent, that was expected. The Rams and Juju, a three-year starter, can pass the ball and score. What was not expected was the way the Rams defense controlled the Shamrocks. St. Patrick’s strung together a couple first downs in the first quarter but never threated to score in the first half. The Rams defense held on every possession and forced punts. The Shamrocks offensive line is huge. The Rams defensive line stopped the run. The closest the Shamrocks go to scoring as a 52-yard field goal attempt late in the game that was on target but a came up few yards short.

It felt like the Rams were just taking-care-of-business. St. Patrick had a winning record. They are big and skilled. Yet the Rams handled them on offense and defense.

I remember interviewing Rams head coach Mike Passarella several years ago. He said something to me after a tough loss that stuck with me. “We haven’t learned how to win yet.”

The Rams have learned how to win.

“I think it started last year. It started with us losing a game against Providence [Catholic in New Lenox] by a couple points. Then we beat Fenwick in double overtime. We learned how to compete, how to stay in games and how to finish games. When I started here, it was a rough go in the beginning. Then every year it was a steady climb. We grew up last year,” Passarella said.

When one learn how to win, I guess it just feels like taking care-of-business. Check off another game on the schedule.

But the goal of the season is to get into to the playoffs. The Catholic school super football conference, a combination of the Chicago Catholic League and the East Suburban Catholic League, doesn’t make it easy to get to the playoffs. To be assured a playoff spot, the IHSA requires a 6-3 record. Getting six wins in the CCL/ESCC is tough for every team. You just don’t play teams at your level. You play teams from the higher divisions of the conference.

The Rams face Loyola next week from the Blue Division. Loyola has lost one game in the last three seasons. The Rams will play St. Francis (Wheaton) from the Green Division. The Rams will play Carmel Catholic from the White Division. Very good teams with winning programs. And then there are St. Viator and Benet Academy, historically successful programs and new rivals in the Purple Division. To make the playoffs, the Rams have to find two wins in those five games against teams from the upper levels of the Catholic League.

Asked what he is going to change to get ready for Loyola, Passarla said, “Honestly, nothing. Our practice is going to be the same during the week. The kids know that when we are on the road, it’s a business trip. This is the first group that has the ability to flip the switch and be engaged. They want it.”

They turned a corner. They learned how to win.

“Yup, this group is hungry. This senior class wants to be the first class to bring us back to the playoffs for the first time in a decade,” Passarella concluded.

DePaul Prep Throttles Marian Catholic 20-7; Improves to 3-0

Preview of this week’s article in the Booster.

DePaul Prep defeated Marian Catholic 20-7 Friday in Chicago Heights. The Rams improved to 3-0 for the first time in the DePaul Prep era.

DePaul Prep had Marian playing their game. The Rams knew Marian Catholic could run the football. Spartan six foot, 173 lbs, junior tailback Kyle Scott was a load, and fast. Early in the game, the Spartans strung together a couple first downs in each of their first quarter possessions. The Rams stiffened, forcing the Spartans to throw the ball.

An ebullient head coach Mike Passarella gushed about his squad. “Stop the run. That was the game plan,” Passarella said. “They moved the ball on us. I said, ‘let’s just play base football . . . Let’s get after them.’ We are confident in what our guys can do. They know their business,” Passarella said after the game.

“We wanted to force them to throw.”

And they did. Except the Spartans throw the ball to the Rams. Two early interceptions thrown by Marian quarterback senior Joey Baranski killed the Spartans drives without ever moving deep into DePaul Prep territory. Multiple illegal formation penalties contributed to the Spartans troubles. The Rams committed penalties of their own contributing a slow, mistake plagued half for both teams.

It wasn’t until the end of the first half before either team put together a scoring drive. With 3:27 left in the half, having moved the ball down to the Marian Catholic eleven-yard line, Rams’ senior quarterback Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez, a three-year starter, rifled a pass to junior wideout Matthew Osterman at the goal line in the middle of the field. Osterman caught the pass in a crowd for the first score of the game. The PAT gave the Rams a seven- point lead.   

 The Spartans took the subsequent kick but again throw an interception. The Spartans through a total of four interceptions in the game. The Rams took their 7-0 lead into the half.

 The second half was a different story. The Rams took the kickoff and moved right down the field. Halftime adjustments on the offensive line led to Rodriguez being able to connect with Osterman and Rams’ senior running back Nick Martinez for big gains. The drive culminated with a 25-yard strike to senior wide receiver Justin Sterner early in the third quarter.

Rodriguez added a touchdown late in the third quarter on a two-yard quarterback sneak up the middle. Marian blocked the extra point attempt making the score 20-0 at the end of the third.

The Spartans scored on a 73-yard pass reception touchdown that was mostly run-after-the-catch with 1:18 left in the game against the Rams’ second team defense but the game was decided at that point.

This was a huge game for the Rams. They haven’t started a season with three wins since the Gordon Tech days. The Rams move closer to making the IHSA playoffs which takes six wins to be assured a playoff berth. The Rams finished last year’s the regular season 4-5 and missed the playoffs

DePaul Prep started this season with two convincing wins over Deerfield and Marian Central Catholic, 35-28 and 35-7 respectively. The Rams moved up a division in the combined Chicago Catholic League and East Suburban Catholic League. Moving from the lowest “Red” division into the Purple. The CCL/ESCC Purple includes Benet Academy, St. Viator and Northside rival St. Patrick.

The Rams will face St. Patrick next Friday at home. After that will be Loyola at home. The Ramblers lost a shocker at St. Francis 35-21 on Friday. A playoff berth is by no means assured for the Rams. Only tough games remain on the schedule. After Loyola is St. Viator, Carmel, St. Francis and Benet.

Sparked by last year’s huge upset win over Fenwick at home and squad loaded with experience and talented seniors, including expected Division One talent of senior wide receiver Braden Peevy and sophomore offensive tackle Carlos Rios, the Rams football program is on the rise.

“I am excited for [the rest of reason]. This is kind of what we wanted. The goal is to continue to build up the program. We talked about it a few years ago. Where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. We never wanted to stay down in the Red. We wanted to move up. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I am excited for it. This is what it is all about,” Passarella said.

DePaul Prep Football and Cross County Senior Night

Before last night’s historic beatdown of Fenwick, DePaul Prep honored its senior football players before their last regular season football game.

At halftime, DePaul honored its Cross County team seniors as well.

Here are photos from the introductions.

DePaul Prep Beats Fenwick 44-43 in Double Overtime

The biggest win in school history for DePaul Prep? It’s not Gordon Tech’s State Championship in 1980 but it sure feels like the biggest win for the new DePaul Prep Rams in ten years of being DePaul Prep.

The DePaul Prep Rams (4-4, 1-1 in CCL/ESCC Red) beat the Fenwick Friars (4-4, 1-1 in CCL/ESCC Orange) 44 to 43 in double overtime Friday night at DePaul Prep.  

In talking to some fans before the game, I asked, “How is Fenwick?’

“It’s Fenwick, but it not Fenwick Fenwick,” I was told.

 The Rams had a chance. And they believed. What’s new about this year is that they can score. They have big-play players. And they score a lot. In their last five games, they have scored 38, 28, 36, 35 and 44 points. I don’t know what Rams’ junior quarterback Fernando “JuJu” Rodriguez did over the summer but whatever it is, somebody should bottle it. His play at quarterback has improved 100%. His throws are on time and on target and the Rams are scoring.

Rams’ senior running back Titus Bautista provides the perfect counter-punch to Rodriguez big arm. Recievers Bradon Peevy, Michael Bloom and Jack West catch the ball and they are only juniors.

Even so, the Rams struggled in the first quarter playing the entire quarter in their own end. They gave up two early field goals and a touchdown falling behind 12-0. But actually it didn’t feel bad. The Rams can score quick and that they did.

On the first play of the second quarter, a perfectly executed screen pass to Bautista flipped the field position bringing the Rams from deep in their own end to the Fenwick redzone. A couple play later it was 12-7.

After having given up a field goal to the Friars with 6:14 to go in the fourth, the Rams trailed 23-29. They took over at their own 21 after Michael Bloom’s kickoff return. With third down and five on their own 26, a quick hitch from Fernandez to junior wide receiver Braden Peevy, then a lateral out to Bautista who sprinted out of the backfield and down the sideline to Fenwick’s 40 yard-line.

A fourth and five scramble by Rodriguez down to the 28-yard line kept the Rams alive. A couple plays later, another fourth down, still from the 28-yard line. This is the Rams’ shot. After coming so close against Providence, after giving late scores against Marian Catholic and being unable to score on a game ending driving, could the Rams make it happen? After years of incremental improvements and confidence building, could this be the hump the Rams get over?

With 4th and 10 and the game, the season and the future on the line, they stood there looking to the sideline for the play. The play clock ticked down; the Rams took the play and lined up. With Rams’ head coach Mike Passarella running down the sideline calling for a time out, the side judge blows his whistle as the Rams snap the ball.

Time out.

Back out on the field. 4th and 10 from the 28. The ball placed on the far hash mark. Senior wide receiver Michael Bloom split out to Rodriguez’s left. Junior Bradon Peevy to his right. Junior running back Nick Martinez in the slot left next to Bloom, junior Jack West in the wideside slot next to Peevy.

Will we look back on this play as the turning point for the football program, or will the losing continue?

Martinez goes in motion to wide side. Bloom launches up field and dips in toward the post, then bolts straight up the sideline past the Fenwick corner like he was standing still.

The offensive line pushes the four Fenwick pass rushers outside and Rodriguez moves up in the pocket. Fenwick’s stud defensive tackle Nate Marshall breaks back up the middle to meet JuJu and stop the pass. Rodriguez lets it fly. Bloom slows up to get the ball. He catches the game tying touchdown in the endzone just before the Fenwick corner can break up the pass.

Huge. Great call. Clutch throw. Tremendous catch. Touchdown Rams!

The game is tied. 

Of course, Fenwick gets a tremendous push up the middle and blocks the Rams extra point. Still tied with 2:03 to play.

Fenwick moves the ball into DePaul Prep territory and with two seconds on the clock, the Friars line up for a 40-yard field goal.

No good. To overtime we go all tied at 29.

Rams have it first from the 10 yard-line in the South end. They score, adding a PAT. Rams 36, Friars 29.

Now the Friars. They score adding a PAT. Double overtime. Rams 36, Friars 36.

Now the Friars have it again. They score adding the PAT. Friars 43, Rams 36.

I never doubted the Rams would score again. They had come too far. But how long could this go on? Titus Bautista around the right end on the first play. Friars 43, Rams 42.

Mike Passarella never hesitated. As soon as I looked back toward the sideline, after Bautista scored, Passarella was raising two fingers. They were going for two points to win the game.

Fenwick called a time out to talk it over.

Two-point conversion attempt from the 3. Peevy split right. Bloom split left. Three backs in the backfield with Rodriguez. Shot gun snap to Rodriguez who gets immediate pressure from his left. Peevy ducks inside into double coverage then slips back toward the sideline. Rodriguez, with a man on him, throws to Peevy breaking to the sideline. TOUCHDOWN. (2-point conversion really.) Rams win. Rams win!

The DePaul Prep Rams defeated Fenwick 44-43 drawing even on the year at 4 wins and 4 losses and chance to make the playoff with a win at DeLaSalle next Friday.

A huge win for a DePaul Prep Rams football team that hasn’t had much to celebrate in recent years. Bill Jeske didn’t know how long it has been since the Rams beat Fenwick. 20 years maybe. Former athletic director Paul Chabura confirmed that the last time DePaul Prep/Gordon Tech beat Fenwick was in 2000 in a Prep Bowl playoff.

“Final was 24-6. Scott Baum was the coach. The Rams came close a few times but that was the last win,” Chabura wrote.

The Rams have improved no doubt. The culture is back. The program is bursting at the seams. They just needed that turn the corner win.

The skies parted literally and figuratively for DePaul Prep football Friday with a huge signature Catholic League crossover win against the Fenwick Friars.

I guess we will have to see if it is the turning point it feels like.

Watch the game for yourself on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WE0YCfXubw

DePaul Prep Outlasts Leo: Rams 38, Lions 14

With 38 seconds left in the first half from the Lion 45 yard-line and the score DePaul Prep 17, Leo 14, the Rams called a play they had practiced all week and that they intended to open the game with. The old “hooking ladder.” A hook by the wide out and a lateral pass to the running back out of the backfield and up the sideline to the end zone.

It worked to perfection. The finest execution of the play that I have seen in my 100 years of watching football.

Rams’ junior quarterback Fernando “JuJu” Rodriguez tossed a quick short pass, a hook, to junior wide receiver wide receiver Nicholas Hathcoat drawing up the Leo free safety. Hathcoat gathered it in, and with a Leo defender draped all over him, pitched the ball to senior running back Titus Bautista sprinting out of the backfield. Bautista grabbed the perfectly placed pitch at full speed and dashed up the sideline. No one had any chance at all to catch him.

Leo was done after that. They had nothing left for the second half. Beaten physically and mentally, the game spiraled into penalty after penalty after penalty.

Rams 38, Lions 14.

DePaul Prep improves to 2-2 on the year and will face No. 14 ranked Providence at home next Friday.

DePaul Prep Rams Defeat Leo Lions 14-12

The DePaul Prep Rams edged the Leo High School 14-12 on September 16, 2022, to improve to 3-1 and win the two team CCL/ESCC Red Division. A nice win for the Rams against a very tough Leo team with a lot of heart.

DePaul Prep v. St. Viator Photo Gallery

Most times when I take photos I just do the best I can in the moment. I can usually tell if the photos will be any good. Sometimes—rarely—when I open photos I have taken, I am surprised at what I find, surprised how much I like the photos. This is one of those times.

My thanks to Pat Mahoney and the other designers and benefactors of the as yet unnamed DePaul Prep Stadium. The light is wonderful—truly outstanding. Thank you.

A proper article about the game will follow. I wanted to get these photos up by themselves first.

I hope you like them.

DePaul Prep Rams Ready Open Season

“Last year, we didn’t know how to win yet,” said fourth year DePaul Prep head football coach Mike Passarella.

 “Not a push over anymore,” Passarella continued. “Everyone is taking us seriously this year.”

 The DePaul Prep Rams are coming off a disappointing 2-7 season after being on the cusp of turning around the program.

“The goal is to win a playoff game,” Passarella said. That will take at least three more wins. Those wins are out there. Since the closing of St. Joseph, DePaul Prep has played three non-conference games instead of the usual two games to open the season. The Rams have added Chicago Hope Academy this year. Chicago Hope could be another win. And with a victory of over Marian Central Catholic, plus an upset victory over the “mighty, mighty” St. Viator Lions (a play on the St. Viator fight song) and with the strength of schedule points and our Rams probably make the playoffs.

The Rams schedule has changed significantly. Ridgewood and Lena-Winslow are out. Amundsen and Chicago Hope Academy are in. Plus, this year there are only two teams in the CCL/ESCC conference’s Red Division—DePaul Prep and Leo. Marian Central Catholic in Woodstock left the conference and went independent but remains on the schedule.

Circle September 16th on your calendar. The Rams take on the Leo Lions for the CCL/ESCC Red Division championship game. With just two teams in the division, this game will decide who’s champ. Leo and DePaul Prep are developing quite a rivalry in the recent months. DePaul Prep defeated Leo in the 2A basketball super-sectional to earn a trip to Champaign for the 2A state basketball finals.

The future is definitely bright for the DePaul Prep’s football program. The school’s enrollment has just dramatically increased in recent years. This year’s enrollment is up to 1086. With construction of a new wing of classrooms beginning shortly on the campus, enrollment is expected to top out at 1400, roughly the same as St. Ignatius. The Rams are currently 3A for football but an enrollment of 1200 will soon put bump DePaul Prep up two classes into 5A.

Along with the jump in enrollment comes a whole new crop of athletes. The Rams plan the start a sophomore quarterback, Fernando “JuJu” Rodriguez. Also, on offense is senior offensive lineman Emmett Jeske, son of former head coach and Gordon Tech legend, Bill Jeske. Junior offensive tackle Eric Timbo is expected to impress and land some offers from NCAA Division One schools.

At the skill positions, junior wide receiver Lavelle Hardy returns to lead the receiving corps. Hardy is also expected to receive Division One offers and score a lot of touchdowns. Senior wide receiver (and varsity basketball player) Henry West, in his first year of football, will also play wide out. Senior Shane Leonard will also play in Coach Passarella’s receiver heavy spread offense spread offense.

Gordon Tech legend Gary Anish, Jr., has been elevated to defensive coordinator. His defense will be led by senior defensive ends Oliver Vigorest and Dane Barkley (also a basketball player). Defensive standouts junior middle linebacker Griffin Horne and Danny Kelly as well has junior cornerback Jonathan Perez will lead a young and talented defense.

The season starts tomorrow at 7:00 p.m., with a home game against Walter Payton College Prep. Should be a fun game between two teams on the rise.

DePaul Prep Rams practice read option Wednesday at DePaul Prep

St. Viator Overwhelms DePaul Prep 41-7

The disappointment was palpable on his face. Disappointment twinged with a healthy bit of anger.

DePaul Prep’s varsity football coach Mike Passarella spoke to me a few minutes after talking to his team in the wake of the 41-7 loss to St. Viator on Friday, September 10, 2021.

“The biggest thing was defensively we missed a lot of tackles. Offensively, we did not move the ball. Three and outs. We keep going backwards. We put our defense in a tough spot. We had a good game plan. We just didn’t really execute it,” said Passarella.

“You could tell that we can play, but when it gets close, we just can’t compete,” Passarella continued. “We have not learned how to win. That’s the one thing we have to work on, just that growth.”

That’s basically true about the game as a whole but the first half but the first half was close. One had feeling that the game could go either way with St. Viator leading 13-7 when the teams went into the locker rooms.

The DePaul Prep Rams (2-1, 0-0 in ESCC Red) won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. That showed me an aggressiveness and confidence that many teams give up these days preferring to get the ball opening the second half. The Rams took the ball but their opening drive stalled near midfield.

The St. Viator Lions (1-2, 0-0 in CCL/ESCC Purple) worked the ball down the field with their first possession. Junior running back Jake VanBooven took a handoff at the four yard-line around the right end and scored giving the Lions an early lead.

The Rams answered quickly on the next drive with a 73-yard pass from Grant transfer senior quarterback Chris Perez up the right sideline to sophomore wide receiver Lavelle Hardy. Perez hit Hardy in stride, and no one was near enough to stop him. Perez impressed the opening games of the season with impressive wins over Walter Payton College Prep and Ridgewood High School particularly throwing the deep ball.

Late in second quarter the Lions answered with another touchdown from VanBooven making the score 13-7 at the half.

St. Viator head coach Dave Archibald was on the opposite side from Passarella on the field and on the season. Archibald’s Lions lost two non-conference openers to tough teams. The opened against very strong 3-0 South Elgin team that handled the Lions 48-7. Last week the Lions lost a close game to Morgan Park 30-22.

“I told our guys we are a young team in ways. If we keep climbing, we have wins that we can get on this schedule. Tonight was a great momentum [builder] where they gained that belief in themselves. When we play the way we are capable of playing, we are going to be able to contend and win some big games,” Archbald said.

The early difference in the game was Viator’s Jake VanBooven. “Jake is a phenomenal athlete. He had an injury last season. The first couple weeks for him were weeks where he was growing in confidence. Tonight he showed his best performance as a running back. He is nowhere near his ceiling. You will only see him get better and better.”

The game turned in the third quarter. St. Viator’s VanBooven added a third rushing touchdown. The Rams’ Perez threw a late pick-six to St. Viator’s Sr. linebacker Carson Eggebraten. The Lions started passing and added two more fourth quarter passing touchdowns to put the game out of reach.

I could feel Coach Passarella’s disappointment because he apologized to me before the game for what his Rams were about to do to my alma mater. Having seen the growth in his program over the last few seasons and the amazing growth of DePaul College Prep, I believed him.

The Rams are close. They just need to take that final step and, in Coach Pass’s words, “learn how to win.”

League play begins next week with Leo. The season is young.

DePaul Prep Defeats St. Joseph in Last Game

At the strange abrupt end to the COVID football season, I photographed the DePaul Prep Rams football game against the St. Joseph Chargers. It was the last ever football game for St. Joseph High School. The school administration announced earlier that week that the school would close at the end of the school year.

DePaul Prep defeated St. Joseph 44-0, on April 23, 2021. Three early interceptions of St. Joe’s replacement quarterback doomed the Chargers. The Chargers fought hard but the Rams dominated the undermanned Chargers in all phases.

It was an emotional game. I spent a lot of time photographing from the St. Joe’s sideline. I wanted to document the last game as best I could. I have been going to St. Joe’s basketball and football games in 1977 when I was a freshman at St. Viator. Joe’s was in the ESCC then. I distinctly remember Isiah Thomas playing as a senior in St. Viator’s Patrick Cahill Gym when Isiah and legendary coach Joe Pingatore were on their way to a state championship.

Fast forward to recent years when my son Dan played football and basketball at Gordon/DePaul; I have seen many games against St. Joe’s.

It’s always sad when a school closes, especially a Catholic school. I have also liked and respected the people at St. Joseph. I wish them well.

As for the photos, I apologize that it took me so long to get these up. I was writing stories for the Inside Publications in the Spring and I just did not have enough time to do that and photograph non-story games.

A DePaul Prep player inquired about the photos and I realized although I have processed them some time after the game, I never posted them to my website. So here they are better late than never.

I hope you like the photos.

DePaul Prep Opens New Football Stadium. Rams fall to Marian Catholic 27-20

I didn’t realize what a football, soccer and lacrosse stadium can mean to as school. It is literally the front yard of the new DePaul Prep campus.

The Rams had their first football game at the new stadium last week on Holy Thursday. The team has improved. The kids have bought in. They were driving for a tying touchdown with a minute to go but came up short 27-20 against Marian.

I have no doubt that the Rams will be back in the Gordon Tech type football glory in years to come.

These are the photos. I hope you like them.

DePaul Prep Football Waits . . .

As we were coming out of the depths of the COVID shutdown, I started planning for high school sports again. DePaul Prep was moving into a new school building and building a new football stadium. I thought I would, and still will, fully document/photograph the first game and the first season in the new stadium.

When the Governor and the IHSA moved the bulk of high school sports to the Spring, my plans changed. The Fall practices were a chance to take some photos, see the new state-of-art DePaul Prep stadium and have the players and coaches get used to having me around so I am not such a distraction when play begins.

I would like to thank DePaul Athletic Director Pat Mahoney and Head Coach Mike Passarella for graciously inviting me in and for being so accommodating. And a special thanks to the young men who carry on the proud tradition of Gordon Tech/DePaul Prep football.

As always, Go Rams!

These are some of my photos.

DePaul Prep Football Pre-Preview

“This season is going to be different for the DePaul Prep Rams.” That was how I was going to start this piece before the IHSA’s announcement Wednesday. Now, that opening sentence seems an unfunny understatement.

I originally planned this article as a preview of the historic upcoming season football. New stadium. New uniforms. New school building. Friday night games. But all our plans are constantly overtaken by events, so here we are.

On Wednesday, the IHSA announced that football is classified a “higher risk” sport and its season has been postponed until Spring. Practices can begin on February 15, 2021. The season will have seven games running from March 5, 2021, to April 16, 2021. There will only be time for two weeks of playoffs after that. So no big state tournament. The format has yet to be announced.

The IHSA issued a new plan for all interscholastic competition for this coming school year. All the details of the plan is a little beyond our purpose here but can be found at the IHSA website.

DePaul Prep head football coach Mike Passarella has been making preparations over the summer for the upcoming season as the guidelines evolved. Summer camp practices have been underway at Horner Park which are now basically over. No further practices are anticipated until September when the IHSA will allow a further 20 days no-contact practices.

“I am really happy the IHSA thought outside the box and didn’t just shut everything done,” said Passarella. “I have been preaching to the boys to do their part. Be smart and we will have football this year.” At the moment, it looks like that may still happen, just in the Spring.

Perhaps the biggest changes, other all this COVID business, are the new school campus and the new home football stadium. This writer feared that football might be on its way out as a high school sport at DePaul. Well, with the prominence of the football field and stadium in the center of the new campus, we don’t have to worry about that. Having such a beautiful new stadium clearly signals a commitment to football and surely will attract prospective students who want to play football.

The Rams will also have new helmets and uniforms. The helmets will be white. The familiar ram horns will be replaced by the new “D” logo in keeping with the rebranding by the school. The rebranding retired the Gordon Tech (Tennessee) orange in favor of a “Chicago flag” blue and red color scheme.

Last year’s team posted a record of three wins and six losses including a brutal six game Catholic League losing streak. Last season was the first for the newly combined East Suburban Catholic Conference and the Chicago Catholic League. The realignment into six divisions didn’t help the Rams improve their record.

This year’s schedule will only be conference games: Carmel, @Leo, St. Laurence, Marian Catholic, @Providence, @Joliet Catholic and St. Joseph. The schedule is tough. Even so, the future is bright. Thirty-four freshman have come out for football. The school’s overall enrollment is on track to basically double in coming years. A new stadium, a commitment to football and increased enrollment will bring improvement. Basketball came ramming back to prominence; football is not far behind.

In addition to the new school, new stadium, new practice rules and new uniforms, DePaul Prep Athletics’ website is getting a makeover. Moving away from 8to18.com, assistant athletic Director Sammy Colon has been spearheading development of the revamped athletics portion of the school website, https://www.depaulprep.org/athletics/home.

The new website will exist directly on the school’s website and boast an updated interface with photos and easy reference to schedules.  il.8to18.com/DePaulPrep is still up but presumably will not be kept current. It is still valuable resource for finding results from previous season for those looking for blogging about high school sports, which is always important.

With football moved to the spring, I guess that makes this basketball season . . . . . . . Nice!

DePaul Prep Football Field.jpg

St. Laurence Defeats DePaul Prep 48-0

The St. Laurence Vikings defeated the DePaul Prep Rams 48-0 this afternoon (Sept. 28, 2019) in Burbank.

The Vikings had seven first half touchdowns: a punt return, a fumble recovery, an interception return and at least two on offense. I lost track of the two of the TDs. Frankly, the Vikings were just bigger, faster and stronger.

The Vikings starting running back, (#28, sorry I dropped my roster), is the real thing. He is as good a running back as I have seen this year. At one point in the first quarter, the Rams had him stopped but he refused to go down. It finally took six or seven Rams to bring him down.

Rams senior quarterback Zach Burhans had some nice on-time throws with some zip for completions and first downs. Unfortunately, he had just as many that late wobblers that went for interceptions or incompletions. At one point I heard DePaul Prep’s first year head coach, Mike Passarella, yelling to Zach, “You gotta play with confidence.” When Zach puts it all together, watch out, he can be very good.

I like what Coach Passarella is doing on offense and defense. His plays are well designed and well suited to his personnel. He calls good plays in good combinations. Despite having to pass, he doesn’t abandon the run.

The defense is on the field a lot. The tackling leaves something to be desired but the boys are not out of position. Even being undersized at almost every position, there is plenty of fight in the defense. The team seems well prepared. But just doesn’t have the horses.

Marian Catholic next Friday’s away game is another Red Division foe. The 3-1 Spartans should prove another tough test.

Leo Defeats DePaul Prep 20-18

The Leo Lions defeated the DePaul Prep Rams 20-18 yesterday (Sept. 21, 2019) at DePaul’s home field at Chicago Academy.

Leo jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first quarter on the speed of senior quarterback Tobias Sample. Semple took a keeper around need end on a long touchdown run early in the first quarter.

The Leos followed up with a balanced run/pass drive late in the first quarter capped by a ten yard run up the middle by Lion’s junior running back Jalen Jackson, making the score 14-0, with a two-conversion.

The Rams struggled on office much of the first half as the defense adjusted to contain Sample and Johnson despite the loss of senior defensive tackle Graeme Phillips to an elbow injury.

In the second half, the Rams offense moved the ball as senior quarterback Zach Burhans connected on an early fourth quarter pass to a senior wide receiver Layton Hopkins bring the Rams within one score at 14-6.

But on the very next possession, Tobias Sample reprised his first quarter run with a 81 yard keeper around the right side to make the score 20-6.

No quit in the Rams. With 6:05 remaining Zach Burhans connected on a perfectly thrown 55 yard touchdown pass again to Layton Hopkins to make it a one score game again at 20-12.

After holding Leo, the Rams got the ball back and, with the aid of penalties by Leo, moved the ball down field for a potentially game tying touchdown and two point conversion. On a quarterback sneak, Zach Burhans moved the ball to the half year line only to twist his ankle and be forced to come out of the game for the fourth down play because of the stoppage.

Backup sophomore quarterback Anthony Martinez came off the bench cold for the all important 4th down play. Again Rams head coach and play caller Mike Passerella went to the quarterback sneak. Martinez took the ball and bounced outside the tackle reaching the ball over the goal line on his first play under center for a touchdown.

For the game tying two-point conversion, Passerella called a fade to the wide out in the left corner of the end zone. The pass to Rams senior wide receiver Cole Ceravolo was broken up by Lions’ defensive back Khalil Blakes. The conversion failed.

The Lions held the 20-18 lead. And there it would end as the Lions ran out the clock with a couple first downs.

I have been to a bunch of blow out games this season. This game was certainly the most entertaining I have seen. While disappointing for the Rams, they proved there is no quit in this team.

DePaul Prep Rams Defeat Sullivan Tigers 32-12

DePaul Prep Rams move to 2-0 on the 2019 season with Friday afternoon’s 32-12 win over the talented Sullivan Tigers.